Sioux City Public Museum

John Peirce Mansion
View from the southeast
Location 2901 Jackson St., Sioux City, Iowa
Coordinates 42°31′15″N 96°24′8″W / 42.52083°N 96.40222°WCoordinates: 42°31′15″N 96°24′8″W / 42.52083°N 96.40222°W
Built 1891
Architectural style Romanesque revival
NRHP Reference # 78001273[1]
Added to NRHP December 12, 1978

The Sioux City Public Museum located in Sioux City, Iowa was originally a mansion and had exhibits relating to the history of the region. There were also exhibits detailing the Lakota people, Omaha people, and Winnebago people.[2]

Subjects in the museum exhibits included anthropology, archeology, natural history, science, and the military.[3]

History

The museum used to be home to the financier John Peirce who built the Romanesque home out of Sioux Quartzite with 23 rooms in 1893.[4] First purchased by a group called the Junior League in 1959, the opening of the mansion as a museum was in September 1960.[5] There was a robbery of a saddlebag from the museum in 1996 that was part of a string of museum thefts which involved stealing Native American artifacts.[6]

A new location was opened in Sioux City's downtown at a former J. C. Penney store which includes a theater, classrooms, and exhibition rooms.[7] The museum project cost 12.5 million dollars. A new exhibit was opened that is all about the song "Sioux City Sue".[8] The museum takes up 10,000 square feet.[9]

The original mansion is being renovated to its original purpose; there are currently rooms for different functions and a ballroom.[10]

Activities and recognition

Students from the Sioux City Community School District make models of local landmarks that are judged every year by the museum and the Historical Association.[11]

The museum's deaccession criteria is a six step process that was used as an example in the book Museum administration: an introduction.[12] The mansion is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[13]

References

  1. ↑ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2010-07-09.
  2. ↑ Whye, Mike (2001). Great Iowa Weekend Adventures. Big Earth Publishing. p. 27. ISBN 978-1-931599-03-0.
  3. ↑ Fanselow, Julie (2007). Traveling the Lewis and Clark Trail. Globe Pequot. p. 70. ISBN 978-0-7627-4437-4.
  4. ↑ Erickson, Lori; Stuhr, Tracy (2010). Off the Beaten Path Iowa: A Guide to Unique Places. Globe Pequot. p. 162. ISBN 978-0-7627-5042-9.
  5. ↑ "Sioux Citian To Talk Here". The Telegraph-Herald. April 1, 1964.
  6. ↑ Associated Press (August 17, 1996). "Iowan accused of stealing Indian artifacts". The Gazette.
  7. ↑ Caniglia, Ross (March 9, 2011). "Grand Opening set for Sioux City Public Museum". KTIV.
  8. ↑ Zerschling, Lynn (March 27, 2011). "New Sioux City Public Museum will open April 23". Sioux City Journal.
  9. ↑ "Sioux City Museum Home Page". Sioux City Public Museum.
  10. ↑ Staci DaSilva. "Sioux City's Peirce Mansion Shows Off Its Newest Renovations". KCAU.
  11. ↑ Magelssen, Scott; Justice-Malloy, Rhona (2011). Enacting History. University of Alabama Press. p. 73. ISBN 978-0-8173-5654-5.
  12. ↑ H. Genoways, Hugh; M. Ireland, Lynn (2003). Museum administration: an introduction. Rowman Altamira. p. 192. ISBN 978-0-7591-0294-1.
  13. ↑ "Open house highlights Peirce Mansion restoration". Sioux City Journal. September 2, 2011.

External links